AA and DHA are PUFA’s that work in magic together in the human brain. They are essential fatty acids that are critical to cell membrane signaling and structure. If you follow the work of biochemists and organic chemists they have told us that PUFA’s are very susceptible to oxidation because of the double bonds they have in their chemical structures. This is true. But here is what they did not tell you about PUFA’s in the brain. AA and DHA are critical for the human brain function. These PUFA double bonds are protected by iodine levels in several special ways. In Brain gut 5 we spoke about the special quantum effect of the pi electron clouds of DHA. Now let us look at the most powerful protector of our DHA stores in all of our cells. Iodine is that protecter. When iodine is bound to AA and DHA it protects them from free oxygen radicals that oxidize them. The second mechanism of protection of these PUFA’s uses iodine and hydrogen peroxide in combination.
GEEK ALERT: An iodine peroxide catalyzes the iodolactonization of DHA and AA. The requirements for DHA and AA for iodolactone formation are the presence of an enzyme called iodo-peroxidase and an elevated concentration of iodine and the presence of hydrogen peroxide. These conditions can only be met in certain human tissues. These tissues are the thyroid gland and the choroid plexus of the of the brain. Most of you know what the thyroid does. I doubt most of you understand what the choroid plexus does. The reason for this is because modern science and neurosurgery do not even know what its purpose is today. This is a tissue in the brain, I deal with every time I open someone’s head for surgery. The choroid plexus makes CSF fluid that surrounds the entire brain. We think CSF has a major effect on the chemical stability of the brain but we really do not know for sure at this point. CSF is an ultrafiltrate of the blood’s plasma and it is made by specialized tissues in the brain’s ventricles called the choroid plexus.
One thing we do know is that AA iodolactones specifically inhibit cellular signal transduction pathways that are induced by local growth factors that are released in many tissues. They are a critical step in controlling cellular growth and helping regulate cell cycle to metabolic and circadian signals. For example we know today that delta iodolactones have anti-proliferative effects (tumor growth). This is especially true in the brain and thyroid gland. This implies that when iodine levels are low in either of these tissue we might see increases in thyroid or brain tumors. In the last hundred years, both of these types of cancers have risen dramatically and their incidence and prevalence. It is particularly startling over the last 50 years in human history. When this occurs in the thyroid gland these iodolactone block the formation of goiters too. A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid due to lack of iodine. In 1990, we also found out that iodolipids, like iodohexadecanal is critical in the thyroid and brain physiology. It appears that these iodolipids are a critical player in transport of iodide in the gut and thyroid. They also direct the formation of T4 formation and secretion in the thyroid. T4 is the thyroid pro-hormone that is converted to T3 in the liver and gut, which is the bioactive form of thyroid hormone that gives us metabolic control and control over our synthesis of hormones from our LDL cholesterol. T3 is critical in making every hormone in the human body. I covered this in detail in the Hormone 101 blog long ago.
We also found out in the 1990’s that reverse T3 and other iodothyronies like T2 and T1 function as iodine transporters in humans. They also have a dual function in protecting PUFA’s used in the brain from oxidation. They are the most powerful inhibitors of lipid peroxidation in humans. Many of you have heard many bloggers talk about lipid peroxidation many times over the last few years, but no one mentioned the iodine system that prevents lipids from being oxidized in the first place. They are so powerful, that they exceed the efficacy of vitamin E, glutathione, and vitamin C in humans. Most of them however, have talked up these other BACK UP systems in humans. In fact, it appears the real reason vitamin C may have lost its role in humans, as a powerful antioxidant protector in cells, is because it is not strong enough to protect AA and DHA in human brain tissue, especially at the synapse of neurons. Yes, the evolution of the human brain may be the reason Vitamin C lost its biologic mojo in our species.
The brain has the highest requirements of requirements of oxidative protection in the synapses between nerve cells. It appears that iodine is a lot better protector of all lipids in all cells not just the brain. If that what science says is true in the brain, and the brain separates us from apes, how in the hell did we do this without iodine if the current meme is correct?
